Oyster Creek Generating Station Plans Transformer Replacement

Operators at Exelon's Oyster Creek Generating Station took the station's turbine offline Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. while employees prepare to replace one of the plant's two main transformers. The station's reactor remains online.

Operators at Exelon's Oyster Creek Generating Station took the station's turbine offline Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. while employees prepare to replace one of the plant's two main transformers. The station's reactor remains online.

As part of the replacement plan, Oyster Creek will operate at reduced power while the station's spare transformer is moved into place. The plant's turbine will be taken offline once more over the next several weeks while the transformer is replaced with a spare unit and then again returned to full power.

Oyster Creek uses two transformers to convert the plant's electrical output for use on the region's grid. Each transformer weighs about 200 tons and is about 15 feet tall and nine feet wide.

Both of Oyster Creek's transformers were replaced during the station's recent refueling and maintenance outage, however, one of the new transformers returned abnormal indications during plant start-up procedures. The transformer was secured and the station has operated at reduced power since December 5 while personnel planned the safe removal of the transformer.

There was no impact on aquatic life in the canal due to the reduction in power, and Exelon's environmental experts continue to monitor the canal for any potential impact.

Oyster Creek is located approximately 60 miles east of Philadelphia. The plant produces 636 net megawatts of electricity per hour, enough carbon free energy for approximately 600,000 homes, the equivalent of all of the homes in Mercer, Burlington and Ocean counties.

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About Exelon

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with more than $17 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 486,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.